Siliconized synthetic filament yarn

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a yarn that includes a plurality of synthetic filament plies bundled together in the form of a yarn strand, which is siliconized. Articles comprising the inventive yarn, and methods of making the inventive yarn are also provided.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/165,587, filed on May 22, 2015. The entire contents of the priorapplication are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to siliconized syntheticfilament yarn, and to articles comprising and methods of forming thesame.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

While yarns produced from natural fibers such as cotton, wool and linencan have excellent feel, they are also often associated with drawbackssuch as durability, relatively low strength, large shrinkage afterwashing and, consequently, large configurational change. Accordingly,effort has been devoted toward developing improved yarns that mayinclude, in addition to natural fibers, synthetic fibers, typically ofstaple length approximately commensurate with the natural fibers, tohelp to negate drawbacks of exclusively natural fiber yarn.

Various approaches to address these needs have been described. U.S.Patent Publication 20070032155, which is commonly-owned with the presentapplication, discloses a yarn comprising siliconized micro-denierpolyester staple fibers and macro-denier staple fibers.

Notwithstanding previous efforts, a need remains for novel and improvedyarn that can be woven or knitted into articles, including fabrics andarticles of clothing.

While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussedto facilitate disclosure of the invention, Applicant in no way disclaimsthese technical aspects, and it is contemplated that the claimedinvention may encompass one or more of the conventional technicalaspects discussed herein.

In this specification, where a document, act or item of knowledge isreferred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not anadmission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combinationthereof was, at the priority date, publicly available, known to thepublic, part of common general knowledge, or otherwise constitutes priorart under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to berelevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which thisspecification is concerned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, the present invention satisfies the need for improved yarnhaving desirable properties, such as hand-feel. The present inventionmay address one or more of the problems and deficiencies of the artdiscussed above. However, it is contemplated that the invention mayprove useful in addressing other problems and deficiencies in a numberof technical areas. Therefore, the claimed invention should notnecessarily be construed as limited to addressing any of the particularproblems or deficiencies discussed herein.

Certain embodiments of the presently-disclosed yarn, articles comprisingthe yarn, and methods for making the yarn have several features, nosingle one of which is solely responsible for their desirableattributes. Without limiting the scope of the yarn, articles, andmethods as defined by the claims that follow, their more prominentfeatures will now be discussed briefly. After considering thisdiscussion, and particularly after reading the section of thisspecification entitled “Detailed Description of the Invention,” one willunderstand how the features of the various embodiments disclosed hereinprovide a number of advantages over the current state of the art. Forexample, incorporation of embodiments of the inventive yarn intoarticles such as fabric gives the resultant article an increasedsoftness as sensed by the hand or skin. Articles comprising theembodiments of the inventive yarn can also take on more of a spun,natural fiber quality, while giving the fabric an inherent waterresistance and reducing the time needed for becoming completely dryafter being exposed to wet conditions.

In one aspect, the invention provides a yarn comprising a plurality ofsynthetic filament plies bundled together in the form of a yarn strand,wherein the yarn strand is a siliconized strand.

In a second aspect, the invention provides an article comprising theyarn of the first aspect of the invention.

In a third aspect, the invention provides a method of making yarn,comprising:

melt spinning a synthetic composition to form a (e.g., non-siliconized)synthetic filament;

bundling a plurality of (e.g., non-siliconized) synthetic filamentplies, thereby forming a yarn strand; and

siliconizing the yarn strand.

These and other features and advantages of this invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description of the various aspectsof the invention taken in conjunction with the appended claims and theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction withthe following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote likeelements, and:

FIGS. 1A and 1B depict simplified profile views of sections of yarnaccording to certain embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a section of yarn according to an embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present invention and certain features, advantages, anddetails thereof, are explained more fully below with reference to thenon-limiting embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings.Descriptions of well-known materials, fabrication tools, processingtechniques, etc., are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure theinvention in detail. It should be understood, however, that the detaileddescription and the specific example(s), while indicating embodiments ofthe invention, are given by way of illustration only, and are not by wayof limitation. Various substitutions, modifications, additions and/orarrangements within the spirit and/or scope of the underlying inventiveconcepts will be apparent to those skilled in the art from thisdisclosure.

In one aspect, the invention provides a yarn comprising a plurality ofsynthetic filament plies bundled together in the form of a yarn strand,wherein the yarn strand is siliconized.

Unlike spun yarns, which are made up of staple fibers, the presentinvention provides a filament yarn.

As used herein, synthetic filament plies (“filaments”) are single longthreadlike continuous textile fibers/strands. Unlike staple fibers,which are of finite length (typically sold in lengths up to 120 mm),filaments are of indefinite length, and can run the entire length ofyarn, even for yards or miles. Indeed, the length of a filament is oftenlimited not by the filament itself, but by the yarn that comprises it.

As indicated above, the filament plies are long continuous fibers ofindefinite length, with length often being dictated by the final yarn inwhich the plies are employed. In some embodiments, the filament pliesrange in length from 5 inches to several miles, including any and allranges and subranges therein. For example, in some embodiments, thefilaments may be at least 5 inches in length (e.g., at least 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26,27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44,45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62,63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80,81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98,99, or 100 inches in length, or any range or subrange therein). In someembodiments, the filaments may be at least 1 foot in length (e.g., atleast 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19,20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37,38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55,56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73,74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91,92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170,180, 190, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310,320, 330, 340, 350, 360, 370, 380, 390, 400, 410, 420, 430, 440, 450,460, 470, 480, 490, 500, 510, 520, 530, 540, 550, 560, 570, 580, 590,600, 610, 620, 630, 640, 650, 660, 670, 680, 690, 700, 710, 720, 730,740, 750, 760, 770, 780, 790, 800, 810, 820, 830, 840, 850, 860, 870,880, 890, 900, 910, 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 970, 980, 990, or 1000 feetin length, or any range or subrange therein).

Synthetic filaments may be created by a process known as extrusion(which can also be called melt spinning). For example, synthetic polymercomposition (e.g., polyester) may be brought to or beyond its meltingpoint, and the liquid polymer may be forced through a dye called aspinneret. The spinneret often has many small holes through which theliquid passes. The liquid polymer streams are cooled upon exiting thespinneret, resulting in long strands of continuous synthetic fibers. Theextruded filaments may optionally be combined with those of another(e.g., an adjoining) spinneret to increase the number of filaments in abundle. A bundle of filaments maybe drawn (stretched) to make eachfilament thinner, and may optionally be texturized, as described below.

The synthetic filaments may be solid or hollow.

The plurality of synthetic filament plies is made of up two or morefilaments. In some embodiments, the plurality of synthetic filamentplies is made up of two to over one hundred filaments. For example, insome embodiments, the plurality of non-siliconized synthetic filamentplies is made up of 2 to 500 filaments (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27,28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45,46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63,64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81,82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99,100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 210, 220, 230,240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360, 370,380, 390, 400, 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, 460, 470, 480, 490, or 500filaments) including any and all ranges and subranges therein (e.g., 5to 200 filaments, 15 to 175 filaments, etc.).

Synthetic fibers that may constitute the synthetic filament pliesinclude any synthetic fiber known in the art as being conducive to thepreparation of textile materials. Many synthetic fibers are known in theart, and any desired synthetic fibers may be used in the invention.Indeed, different fibers have different properties, and lend themselvestoward advantageous uses in different applications. This information iswell within the purview of persons having ordinary skill in the art.While a wide array of synthetic filament plies may be used in theinvention, in some embodiments, the synthetic fibers that constitute thesynthetic filament plies are selected from the group consisting ofpolyamide, polyester, acrylic, acrylate, acetate, polyolefin, nylon,rayon, lyocell, aramid, spandex, viscose, and modal fibers, andcombinations thereof.

In particular embodiments, the synthetic fiber is polyester. Forexample, in some embodiments, the polyester is selected frompoly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(hexahydro-p-xylylene terephthalate),poly(butylene terephthalate), poly-1,4-cyclohexelyne dimethylene (PCDT)and terephthalate copolyesters in which at least 85 mole percent of theester units are ethylene terephthalate or hexahydro-p-xylyleneterephthalate units. In a particular embodiment, the polyester ispolyethylene terephthalate.

In various embodiments, prior to their incorporation in a yarn strand,the filaments of the plurality of synthetic filament plies arenon-siliconized (i.e., the individual filaments have not been subject tosiliconization, and thus exterior surfaces spanning the circumference ofthe filaments are not coated with silicon-containing material). Thisdiffers from prior art yarn, such as that disclosed in U.S. PatentPublication 20070032155, which comprises microdenier staple fibers(versus filaments) that have individually been siliconized prior totheir incorporation into yarn.

The plurality of synthetic filament plies are bundled together in theform of a yarn strand, wherein the strand is siliconized. In someembodiments, the synthetic filament plies are bundled together parallelto one another, as shown in yarn segment 100 in FIG. 1A. In otherembodiments, the synthetic filament plies are bundled together bytwisting the plies, as shown in yarn segment 200 in FIG. 1B. In stillother embodiments, other texturizing techniques are performed on thebundle of filament plies to disrupt the parallelization of thefilaments. Such techniques may serve, for example, to add bulk withoutadding weight, which can make the resultant yarn seem lighter in weight,have improved hand-feel (softness), appear more opaque, and/or haveimproved temperature insulating properties. While any art-acceptabletexturizing processes may be employed, examples of texturizing processesconducive to use in the invention include crimping, looping, coiling,crinkling, twisting then untwisting and knitting then deknitting.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, when the plurality of synthetic filamentplies are bundled together in the form of a yarn strand, the resultantyarn strand includes an exterior portion 10, which is siliconized. Whilethe exterior portion 10 is depicted as a continuous surface in FIGS. 1Aand 1B, persons having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that,in many embodiments (e.g., depending on, inter alia, the number offilaments comprised within the yarn, how tightly the filaments arebundles, and texturization), the exterior portion will not appearcontinuous. This is the case, for example, in the embodiment ofinventive yarn depicted in FIG. 2.

The term “siliconized” means that the yarn is coated with asilicon-comprising composition (e.g., a silicone). Siliconizationtechniques are well known in the art, and are described, e.g., in U.S.Pat. No. 3,454,422. The silicon-comprising composition may be appliedusing any method known in the art, e.g., spraying, mixing, dipping,padding, etc. The silicon-comprising (e.g., silicone) composition, whichmay include an organosiloxane or polysiloxane, bonds to at least anexterior portion of the yarn. In some embodiments, the silicone coatingis a polysiloxane such as a methylhydrogenpolysiloxane, modifiedmethylhydrogenpolysiloxane, polydimethylsiloxane, or amino modifieddimethylpolysiloxane. As is known in the art, the silicon-comprisingcomposition may be applied directly to the yarn, or may be diluted witha solvent as a solution or emulsion, e.g. an aqueous emulsion of apolysiloxane, prior to application. Following treatment, the coating maybe dried and/or cured. As is known in the art, a catalyst may be used toaccelerate the curing of the silicon-comprising composition (e.g.,polysiloxane containing Si—H bonds) and, for convenience, may be addedto a silicon-comprising composition emulsion, with the resultantcombination being used to treat the exterior surface of the yarn.Suitable catalysts include iron, cobalt, manganese, lead, zinc, and tinsalts of carboxylic acids such as acetates, octanoates, naphthenates andoleates. In some embodiments, following siliconization, the yarn may bedried to remove residual solvent and then optionally heated to between65° and 200° C. to cure.

In some embodiments, the silicon-comprising compound does not comprisesilicon dioxide.

Denier is a unit of measure defined as the weight in grams of 9000meters of a yarn or fiber. It is a common way to specify the weight (orsize) of the yarn or fiber. Fibers that are 1.0 denier have a diameterof approximately 10 micrometers. Micro-denier fibers are those having adenier of 1.0 or less while macro-denier fibers have a denier greaterthan 1.0. Denier per filament, or dpf, is a common way of specifying amulti-filament yarn. A yarn described as 75d/144f refers to a yarnhaving an overall denier of 75 (meaning 9000 meters of said yarn wouldweigh 75 grams), while the number of filaments comprising the yarn wouldbe 144. This yarn would be considered a micro-denier yarn because itsindividual strands would have a denier of 75 divided by 144, or 0.52,which is lower than 1.0 denier.

In some embodiments, the inventive yarn has a dpf of 0.2 to 15 (e.g.,0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5,1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9,3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3,4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7,5.8, 5.9, 6.0, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 7.0, 7.1,7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 7.8, 7.9, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5,8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.9, 9.0, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5, 9.6, 9.7, 9.8, 9.9,10.0, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5, 10.6, 10.7, 10.8, 10.9, 11.0, 11.1,11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, 11.6, 11.7, 11.8, 11.9, 12.0, 12.1, 12.2, 12.3,12.4, 12.5, 12.6, 12.7, 12.8, 12.9, 13.0, 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.4, 13.5,13.6, 13.7, 13.8, 13.9, 14.0, 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 14.4, 14.5, 14.6, 14.7,14.8, 14.9, or 15.0), including any and all ranges and subranges therein(e.g., 0.3 to 6).

In some embodiments, the synthetic filaments have a denier of 0.1 to 10denier (e.g., 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1,1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5,2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9,4.0, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3,5.4, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, 5.9, 6.0, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7,6.8, 6.9, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 7.8, 7.9, 8.0, 8.1,8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.9, 9.0, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5,9.6, 9.7, 9.8, 9.9, or 10.0 denier), including any and all ranges andsubranges therein (e.g., 0.5 to 6 denier).

In some embodiments, the plurality of synthetic filament plies comprisesfilaments having a denier of less than 5.0. In some embodiments, theplurality of synthetic filament plies comprises filaments having adenier of less than 1.0.

In some embodiments of the inventive yarn, all fiber present in the yarnconsists of filament plies (i.e., all fiber present is in the form offilaments).

In some embodiments of the inventive yarn, all fiber present in the yarnconsists of the same fiber composition. In such embodiments, the fibercomposition of the exterior surface of the yarn is the same as the fibercomposition of the remainder of the yarn, including all of the fiberthat makes up the inner portion of the yarn.

In some embodiments, the inventive yarn is un-dyed (i.e., no color isadded during the manufacturing process). In other embodiments, theinventive yarn may be dyed. For example, in some embodiments, the yarnmay be dope dyed, meaning that one to several pigments were added beforethe filaments were extruded so as to impart desirable color to theinventive yarn.

In a second aspect, the invention provides an article comprising theyarn of the first aspect of the invention.

For example, in some embodiments, the invention provides a fabric orarticle of clothing containing the yarn of the invention.

Articles such as fabric or an article of clothing according to thesecond aspect of the invention may be produced wholly from the inventiveyarn, or may be produced from the inventive yarn together with one ormore additional yarns.

Fabric can be created by weaving and/or knitting. Articles of clothingcan be created by cutting woven or knitted fabric into shapes and thensewing the shapes together or by a kind of knitting that produces agarment directly with little or no cutting and sewing, i.e. socks,seamless underwear. The woven or knitted fabric can be balanced, meaningthat both sides of the fabric contain essentially equal amounts of theinvention yarn, or it may be unbalanced, meaning that one side of thefabric, by design, has more of the invention yarn than the other. Thefabric or article of clothing may contain the inventive yarn throughout,or only in specific areas for visual effects or to enhance overallperformance. For example, the invention yarn may be used to form thefoot bed of a sock to improve overall comfort and wearability thereof.

In a third aspect, the invention provides a method of making the yarn ofthe first aspect of the invention.

The method of making the yarn comprises:

melt spinning a synthetic composition to form a non-siliconizedsynthetic filament;

bundling a plurality of non-siliconized synthetic filament plies,thereby forming a yarn strand; and

siliconizing the yarn strand.

In some embodiments, the inventive method of making yarn additionallycomprises texturizing the yarn, as described above. In some embodiments,said texturizing is performed after forming the yarn strand but beforesiliconizing the yarn strand. In other embodiments, texturizing isperformed after siliconizing the yarn strand.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprise” (andany form of comprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (andany form of have, such as “has” and “having”), “include” (and any formof include, such as “includes” and “including”), “contain” (and any formcontain, such as “contains” and “containing”), and any other grammaticalvariant thereof, are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, a method orarticle that “comprises”, “has”, “includes” or “contains” one or moresteps or elements possesses those one or more steps or elements, but isnot limited to possessing only those one or more steps or elements.Likewise, a step of a method or an element of an article that“comprises”, “has”, “includes” or “contains” one or more featurespossesses those one or more features, but is not limited to possessingonly those one or more features.

As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “has,” “including,”“containing,” and other grammatical variants thereof encompass the terms“consisting of” and “consisting essentially of.”

The phrase “consisting essentially of” or grammatical variants thereofwhen used herein are to be taken as specifying the stated features,integers, steps or components but do not preclude the addition of one ormore additional features, integers, steps, components or groups thereofbut only if the additional features, integers, steps, components orgroups thereof do not materially alter the basic and novelcharacteristics of the claimed compositions or methods.

All publications cited in this specification are herein incorporated byreference as if each individual publication were specifically andindividually indicated to be incorporated by reference herein as thoughfully set forth.

Subject matter incorporated by reference is not considered to be analternative to any claim limitations, unless otherwise explicitlyindicated.

Where one or more ranges are referred to throughout this specification,each range is intended to be a shorthand format for presentinginformation, where the range is understood to encompass each discretepoint within the range as if the same were fully set forth herein.

While several aspects and embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed and depicted herein, alternative aspects and embodiments maybe affected by those skilled in the art to accomplish the sameobjectives. Accordingly, this disclosure and the appended claims areintended to cover all such further and alternative aspects andembodiments as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A yarn comprising a plurality of synthetic filament plies bundledtogether in the form of a yarn strand, wherein the yarn strand is asiliconized strand.
 2. The yarn according to claim 1, wherein theplurality of synthetic filament plies comprises filaments having adenier of less than 5.0.
 3. The yarn according to claim 1, wherein theplurality of synthetic filament plies comprises filaments having adenier of less than 1.0.
 4. The yarn according to claim 1, wherein thesynthetic filament plies comprise one or more of polyester filaments,nylon filaments, and acrylic filaments.
 5. The yarn according to claim1, wherein the synthetic filament plies are polyester filaments.
 6. Theyarn according to claim 5, wherein the polyester is polyethyleneterephthalate.
 7. The yarn according to claim 1, wherein all fiberpresent in the yarn consists of filament plies.
 8. The yarn according toclaim 1, wherein all fiber present in the yarn consists of the samefiber composition.
 9. The yarn according to claim 1, wherein the yarn isa texturized yarn.
 10. An article comprising the yarn according toclaim
 1. 11. The article according to claim 10, wherein the article isan article of clothing.
 12. The article according to claim 11, whereinthe article is a sock.
 13. A method of making a yarn according to claim1, comprising: melt spinning a synthetic composition to form anon-siliconized synthetic filament; bundling a plurality ofnon-siliconized synthetic filament plies, thereby forming a yarn strand;and siliconizing the yarn strand.
 14. The method according to claim 13,additionally comprising texturizing the yarn.
 15. The method accordingto claim 14, wherein said texturizing is performed after forming theyarn strand but before siliconizing the yarn strand.